I still remember the first time I ate duck. I was in school and it was my summer vacation. As usual, we were spending our glorious summer vacation in Kerala with my father’s siblings. This time we were in the house of one of his sisters, who, how can I say it; was not at all culinarily blessed. She was one of my most favorite of aunties but unlike her elder sisters was not gifted in the kitchen department. So this one day my uncle brought home fresh duck and she made some sort of curry with it. It was to put it delicately not very good. Not her fault duck is known to be full of bones and unless you really spice it, quite bland and it has a particularly weird smell. This was not the broiler ducks that is grown in sheltered cages or a cute little pond, this was a duck fresh from the backwaters of Kerala. Long story short I didn’t eat duck for the longest time. I am not sure but haven’t really seen duck for sale in Chennai all that much. Fast forward years later, am married and my sister and I went to check out a new frozen meat shop. There I encountered the duck again. I bought it, cooked it and loved it. However I am a minority in my house so hardly ever make it. But like me if you love duck you cannot go wrong with this recipe from Maria’s Menu. It’s a bit time-consuming and laborious but this is my absolute favorite way to eat duck now. do check out her recipe and my recipe below with slight changes.
Thank you Maria for this beautiful recipe.
This is also my dedication to my Maternal Grand Father who I am told was a lover of duck meat. He was the original foodie of the family and an absolute non-vegetarian lover, just like yours truly. Today, the 7th of January was his birthday, and here is a post celebrating him.
Ingredients
Duck – 2 KG (I prefer broiler as the bones are softer)
To Make a paste
Shallots – 1 cup
Ginger – 2″ knob
Garlic – 8/10 cloves (I love garlic)
Chilly Powder – 2 tblsp
Coriander Powder – 3 tblsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala – 2 tblsp
Pepper Powder – 2 tblsp
Vinegar- 1/4 cup
Salt – To taste
Curry Leaves – a handful
Coconut Oil – To shallow fry the duck
Onions – 2 big (sliced)
Potato – 2/3 depending on the size and your love for potatoes (cut into
wedges)
Method
Cut the duck (skin on) into small pieces and wash with vinegar and turmeric
and keep aside.
Make a paste with ingredients listed under To make a paste, from shallots to
salt. Marinate the duck in this paste for an hour. I usually do this and keep
it in the fridge overnight.
Heat oil in a broad bottomed vessel and shallow fry until golden brown. Keep
aside.To the same oil add the sliced onions and fry until brown. It won’t take
long when brown add the curry leaves and add the fried duck and give it a good
mix. Once the masala and the duck have mixed well add 2 cups of hot water and
cook covered until half-done. (Maria pressure cooks the duck and you can do that
by all means. I personally prefer long and slow. )
When half cooked add the potato and continue to cook covered. This is a good time to check for salt and
spiciness. The duck will leave a lot of oil please resist the temptation to drain it. Keep stirring to make sure the bottom doesn’t catch (could be a specialty of my vessel) till done.How do you know its done by going on tasting of course 😉 It does take a couple of hours to do this but trust me it keeps
getting better with time.
anisha the foodie 